This is a Vietnamese/Chinese cake called bánh bò (Vietnamese) or bak tong goh (Chinese). Literally translated, the Vietnamese name Bánh Bò, means Cow Cake/Pastry or Crawl Cake/Pastry The cake (Bò can mean either cow or to crawl). How this name came to be, I have no idea. The Chinese name Bak Tong Goh, translates to White Sugar Cake, which makes sense since the cake is traditionally white and made with white sugar. This cake originated in china and made its way into Vietnam via the Chinese colonization of Vietnam. The Vietnamese took this cake and made it their own with the aid of coconut milk (in the batter and as a dipping sauce) and pandan leaves (lá dứa) which explains why the vietnamese version is often green. Traditionally, the cake is made with fermented rice wine (aka cơm rượu). The yeast from the wine leavens the cake and gives it its distinctive “fermented” taste and honeycomb like texture. Modern recipes call for yeast instead of rice wine since yeast works faster and is more convenient; yeast = 100% yeast, rice wine = yeast + water + sugar + rice (the amount of yeast in rice wine is depends on the recipe for the wine…not all recipes are the same thus, it’s much harder to get the recipe right). As for the chewy texture of the cake, it comes from the yeast fermenting with the rice flour.

Chinese Version:Always white and sometimes has a slightly sour taste. The sour taste is a result of the amount of time the batter is allowed to ferment after the addition of the syrup. The longer the time the more sour the cake becomes. I've come across many sources that argue bak tong goh shouldn't have the slightly sour taste. Likewise, there are also sources that claim the sour taste has to be there for the cake to be considered a success.

Vietnamese Version:This version should never taste sour and there should be a slight accent of coconut. The use of pandan leaves is highly encouraged but not required. The cake is usually served with coconut sauce (made with coconut milk, sugar, salt, tapioca starch), and/or toasted sesame seeds, and crushed roasted peanuts. Usually available in many colors, most popular are white, yellow, pink, green and even purple.

**Both cakes should have a slight chewy texture and high “honeycombs”.

Hi tt. Its me again. I asked about the chinese bak tong koh. i tried to make the vietnamese banh bo before, but with flour came with everything I needed...still didn't have the honeycomb and the texture is more like a cake. The chinese version is a little like the banh bo nuong except steamed. Inside is smooth wetlike with honeycomb. Here is the link to making the chinese bak tong go: http://starbulletin.com/2003/05/21/features/story1.htmlI tried it but it didn't work..didn't come out like the picture. If you know of something different, please let me know. I would rather use your recipe if you have one. thanks.

Anonymous,The Vietnamese bak tong go is very very much like the Chinese version. The Vietnamese version also has a smooth, wetlike texture and has honeycombs. The only difference between the two is the Vietnamese has coconut milk mixed into the batter and the Chinese version does not. If you tried the Vietnamese version and I turned out like cake than you must have done something wrong. I’ve always used this recipe and modified it by using water instead of coconut milk to make the Chinese version. If you use water instead of coconut milk than add 1tbs of oil since coconut milk contains oil and water doesn’t. Give it another shoot; practice makes perfect. :)

if you do it right than yes, this recipe will give you honeycombs. If you don't get honeycombs than you did something wrong. Re: adding baking powder, why do you try it and let me know. I'm also learning just like everyone else.....don't ever be afraid to Play with Your Food!

Hi tt. I have a steamer and somehow the water keep on dripping on top of my banh bo and make them have wet spots. I turn on the fire on high already but can't get rid of the dripping steam from the top cover. Is there a way to prevent the dripping? ALso, to make the chinese version, do I add the oil and food color at the end? What do you mean by rise and fall? Is the water content still the same for the chinese bak tong koh? How long do we steam it for smaller moulds and for larger pan? Will it work the same if we add coconut milk? I do like the taste of coconut milk, but I do want the honeycombs...:) Thanks.

Hi tt. Thanks for the tips. I added the flour, yeast and sugar already. I'll wait until tomorrow to steam it. I will try your bang bo hap. All your steam good looks so good, especially the banh bo hap. I wish mine will turn out like yours. Good luck to me.:) Thanks.

Hi tt. I steamed the banh bo but then it doen't look white at all. The color is not white as your's and yes it did have honeycombs but they are somewhat too wet looking. Maybe its because I added too much liquid, but it didn't rise like your's. I wonder why the color is not white. Mine is a little creamy color. Its always that color no matter how many times I make this. Do you know why? I used white sugar. I did try one batch with some baking powder, its fluffy but not much honeycombs. I guess I need more pratice.

Hi tt. Yes, I did use tap water. So thats why the color looks different? Is it okay to steam the cake again? Well, I ate the cake and it tasted find except its a little harder at the bottom layer. The top layer is more fluffy the bottom is not.

Hi tt. Maybe, but the same color even when I used the banh bo package, which sell in the store. And I tried other recipe but the color is not pure white as the one sell in the store or like your's. What kind of water did you use? Did you use tap water too? Did you use the regular white table sugar?

I used your recipe last weekend and it came out perfect (honeycombs were great)! It wasn't hard to do either. Next time, I'd add 2 C of sugar as I only used 1.5 C this time and found it wasn't sweet enough. Didn't have any fancy tart molds so just used a foil tray.

I have tried your banh bo recipe.Instead of coconut milk I used plain water.I added in 1 tsp of double action powder.There is honeycomb on three quarter part of the cake.One quarter part rises with bubble hole only.The surface is slightly wet.After about 2 hours it will dried up but it does not taste as good as the other 3/4 honeycomb part.Instead of 1 tblesp of oil can I add in 1/2 tblesp of oil.

Hi. Thanks for your answers. Could you please tell me how long is the process of mixing yeast and sugar and water? and when having it proved overnight do I need to cover the dough with anything, to increase its rising process?

Hi tt, I tried your recipe this morning (prepared the dough last night), but as I did not have enough rice flour, I just used my common sense and mixed what I've got to a pancake consistency. I didn't think it would be a success because when I got up this morning, the dough looked flat, but anyhow, I thought what the heck, I'll do part B. You did not mention whether to mix part B overnight?. Anyway, it was pancake consistency and it just kept bubbling and voila! I had honeycombs galore! I did think it was a bit chewy, so I just added a bit of water and it improved the texture a lot. I will keep on experimenting. Thank you so much. Love your website. I'm not Vietnamese but I just loved Vietnamese food. By the way, tips to newcomers, the secret is to give the yeast time to ferment, so ideally, leave overnight. I assure you, no need for baking powder.Zaalti

Okay, after repeated attempts which had always resulted in stick paste, I finally did it. The problem I had was in the rice flour. There are two rice flours to buy. Regular rice flour and Glutinous Rice flour. DO NOT USE glutinous rice flour. It is for Japanese Mochi, Filipino Palitao, Espasol, Chinese Bochi (?) with red bean paste. Once I changed the flour to regular rice flour, it worked!

Hi TT, I tried to make banh bo with your recipe but wasn't successful at it.

I mix A and left it over night. The flour rise and fall, looks flat and dry when I mix in B. What do you use to mix B with A? A whisk or a spoon? I just use a spoon and mix it in and left it for another 45 minutes, just in case so that it will rise.

When you mix in B, after 45 minutes, does the batter suppose to have a lot of bubbles? Mine have some bubbles on top but not any on the bottom throughout the batter.

I use a glass pie pan and steam the banh bo, I split it and steam it twice. It rised while I was steamig it (so happy to see it rising), but when I take it out and left it to cool down before eating, it fall flat. There are 1/4 honeycomb on the bottom and all the other part just sticky flat dough. What do you use to steam it in? I'll try it again and will use some baking powder to see if it will helps.

sounds like you did everything right up to the steaming part. You steamed the cakes too long which is why they fell when cooled and became a dense, sticky mess. Don't over steam! if you're using a pie pan then it should take about 15 mins on high heat, lift lid to let extra steam out after about 8 mins of steaming.

Thanks for the tip. I did steam it too long according to the time you recommend. I steam it for 30-45 minutes. I read through everyone comments before making mine so that I can learn from other people experiences. I open the lid every 5 minutes to let out the steam so that it won't make the cake wet. The reason why I kept on steaming it was that, the top of the cake seems uncook, seems wet. Is it ok to take it out while it is like this at 15 minutes or 20 minutes? Is it suppose to be like this when it is done?

I also think I know why the color is not pure white. The longer you steam it, the browner it gets. When steaming the cake for the first 10-15 minutes, the cake puff up and was pure white color (but top part seems wet), then I kept on steaming it, it turns darker and darker color. So the color can be a sign that it has been over cooked.

Thank you so much for sharing all the recipe! I love these food. NC is not the state that have many Vietnamese so Vietnamese food is very hard to find, only at home with what mom cooks. Other than that, there's none. I love your website and love all the food you share!

Also I wanted to know, how to do banh bo (cupcake like). I saw the Bánh Bò Khoai Lang (Sweet Potato Fatt Koh) which looks like it. But do you have the recipe to make it without the khoai lang taste, but the banh bo taste? Love this too but don't know how to make.

Hi, I would like to know after steaming the steamed rice cakes do I leave it at room temperature or keep it in the fridge. I put mine in the fridge and it harden up. Same thing goes with the Steamed tapioca layered cake, that harden up too when I put it in the fridge. How long can these two cakes be kept for?

I read all the comments before attempting but it was a disaster! I covered 'mixture A' when I left it over night. I know you said we should use 'bread yeast' instead of wine yeast but because of the public holiday the only yeast I could get was the round ball yeast I got from the asian grocery.

I have read your recipe very very careful and I don't think anyone of us with have the "banh bo with honeycumb" - I have tried many times and I came up with the solution to have the honeycumb as the way it should be.When I prove the "banh bo" I have to keep the temperature from 100 -110 degree F all the times then I have the "banh bo" with the honey cumb. Thanks for your recipe, and if you can include that trick in your recipes then perhaps other will have the "banh bo" for the way it should be .

I prove the batter at room temp. (80's) and still get the honeycomb texture.

As the name of this blog suggests...the whole point to this blog is to encourage others to play with their food, to explore, to experiment, to try new things. Not to "teach" recipes. I glad you've experimented! way to go!

It's very interesting when you proof the "banh bo" at 80 degree F and you still have the honey comb. Just one quick question if you can please let me know.I went to Vietnam and the weather was very hot down there - I don't think they have 80 degree F in Vietnam even at night time and they make "banh bo" in Vietnam. I ate the "banh bo" in Vietnam that's how I know the texture of the "banh bo".I wonder how they make "banh bo" in Vietnam if they need to have the 80 degree F to prove the batter ? but I will try to do the "banh bo" again at that temperature.

The texture from banh bo relies completely on the yeast. The warmer the tempeature the faster (more active) the yeast is. Thus the temp is not important...as long as it's not so hot that the yeast dies. With that said, time is more important than temp. You can even prove the batter in the fridge if you like, it'll just take a lot longer but you will get the same results.

FYI...80'f is an approximation of room temp. it does not mean it's an absolute requirement.

thanks to the author, i was able to make some delicious banh bo hap.this was my first time trying it out.i followed the instructions and ingredients list from the author.

what i believed is the key to a good banh bo hap:

1. i let my mix stand for 10+/- hours.2. i added 2 tablespoon of bot nang(tapioca starch from thailand) to the final batter. based on my exprience of making banh bo nuong i like the texture to be a little more elastic/chewier than just plain rice flower. 3. don't forget the food color.we don't want it to be all white.4. for some batch, i added a little pandan extract and other vanilla extract to the ban bo hap.

again this is a wonderful recipe and thank you to the author. the banh bo came out smooth and glossy on the exterior and spongy/fluffy with lots of honeycombs on the inside.

tonight i will modify the above recipe by adding "coco rico" carbonated soda to the batter.i want to see if this will give me a higher rise and bigger honeycombs. i will post my result later. "don't forget to play with your food."

Thank you very much for your site, I'm French but 25% vietnamese of origin. I grew up in VN until 11 and my best memories were food and a lot of other things and especially the famous banh bo. You give me the opportunity to try to make it by myself to please my family and I. You are among the most generous person to give so much recepies of vn cooking, usually vn people hide their recepies.

Regarding the container used to steam....I am not quite sure how "high" the cake rises. What I mean is.....how much room I should leave at the top of the container/mould to take into consideration the rising during the cooking process.

hi tt, what consistency should it be once you mix the flour, water and yeast?? mine turned out like a dough. i have read this blog a million times over. im viet but i cant read viet... and im not sure what to do...lol. i live in japan now too, so im hoping i bought the right rice flour...

i tried this recipe today. it came out delicious. thank you for posting!!.. the only thing i did differently was mix part A with hot water.. i was impatient and didnt want to leave it overnight for the flour to rise and fall so using hot water made it faster. it came out great. i'll will be making this again. THANK YOU!!

today i tasted the vietnamese version of this cake and i immediately fell in love with it ! i love the slight chewy texture and high “honeycombs” and was almost desperate to find your recipe ! now that i have the recipe and the ingredients, i'll give it a try, but i have to do some math before... i have to translate the measures in french :p WHY do the americans measure differently the ingredients ? :'(

this recipe is so easy. i make it two time and it came out perfect. i even reduce the recipe in half and added tropical starch to it and it still works. my came out better than the one i bought from the store. thanh you tt i love your web site.thank you thank you. kv

Hi!!TTDo you have specific Rice Flour? Because I buy my at Asia store the name is Rice Flour (Te) and also yeast at the Asia store it come with four white circle in pack? Can I combine the 2 1/2 Tablespoon yeast and 2pink pack baking power together and 4 tablespoon tapioca starch and cocunut milk for part A? Will that work for Banh Bo?

"bò" in bánh bò means "craw". It is named so because before steaming, the flour is placed in the middle of a tray, after steaming, it expands ("crawls out") to the rim of the tray. Please edit your post because I don't want people to have a wrong idea about the name of the case.

However I have trouble believing that "bò" means "crawl" in this case.

According to your explanation, "It is named so because before steaming, the flour is placed in the middle of a tray, after steaming, it expands ("crawls out") to the rim of the tray."

But...the amount of liquid in the recipe, the "flour" into a batter. Since it's a batter, it's impossible for it to "crawl". When you pour it into a tray it automatically fills the tray, and when steamed the cake rises (aka nở).

secondly, according to "Quà Bánh Dân Gian Cổ Truyền Việt Nam" (a book about the origins of vietnamese pastries). The author explains that the name "Bánh Bò" is short for "Bánh Phổi Bò" (lit. translated: cow's lung cake). Traditionally the cakes are steamed in large pans or "trays", and as a result the cakes are large with many small holes which resemble a cow's lung, hence the name.

In a nutshell, Bánh Bò (Cow Cake) is short for Bánh Phổi Bò (Cow's Lung Cake).

Hi, i tried your recipe. I left mixture A overnight and after mixing in mixture B I left it for another 45 mins. The batter had a bit of bubbles but after I steamed it it came out more like banh beo than banh bo. It had no honeycombs at all. What am I doing wrong?

I've been looking for this recipe and glad I came across yours. For those who are not used to cooking or even not used to using yeast, you might have to do some research. As for me, I follow the instructions on the yeast package on how to proof. I did make a couple of mistakes on my first round (used sweet rice flour instead of just rice flour, and ended up "killing" the yeast when the water to proof was too hot). The second round turned out much better - honeycombs and all!

Hi hoangtam, I gotta tell you this. I was successful for the first time trying it. It tasted judt like the original banh bo that I had had in Vietnam (been long time havent visited my family). Btw, thank you so much for this website and a was successful making banh bo nuong too, awesome. Thanks again.Katie Nguyen

This was a hit! Everyone I served it to on the weekend loved it - even my non-asian friend. I'm not a cook so did not know to use warm water with the yeast. I used cold water and was worried it wouldn't work out fine. Like I said - perfect! As for steaming, I steamed for 20 minutes. Other than waiting overnight - it was easy to make. Thanks,Angie

this comment is in response to tt. To get ur cake white, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the steaming water. This applies to steamed pork buns as well. Of course if you use a large steam pot then add 2 teas instead. It does not change the taste at all. Hope this help.

Thank you for the great recipe! It was very yummy and easy to follow. Made it for the first time and it came out great and has lots of honeycombs. For those that said this does not work for them you must've done something wrong or bought the wrong rice flour. Bc it worked for me. I made some changes though.... I used instant yeast instead of active dry yeast & I added 2-3 tbs starch to the batter mixture & also lower the sugar to 1 c. If you use instant dry yeast you don't have to wait hrs and hrs for it rise. I only let the batter proofed for 1.5 hrs and then mixed it w the sugar syrup then let it sit for another hr before steaming. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks again!

Honestly, I was very skeptical on trying your recipe for the Steamed Rice Cakes. I've tried so many and failed so many times, I was tired of it. But I came upon your recipe and steamed it this afternoon. All I can say is, "YAY!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!" My in-laws did not say anything and ate more. My kids loved it! My husband did not criticize it either! I am going to try the Chinese version next week. I have to go back and get more rice flour from the Asia store which is 45 minutes away! Thank you for sharing!

Hi there. I really enjoy your food blog and your mostly patient and occasionally sarcastic replies to the questions posed. There are even grammar lessons in there somewhere! My dear grandmother passed away a few months ago. We're coming up to her 100 days anniversary and I want to honour her memory by making banh Bo using her recipe that she told me verbally more than 20 years ago as we were making the banh bo. Unfortunately, my old scribbling omitted the volume of water in part 1. I went online looking for a similar recipe as I wanted to make it for her, using her recipe and not an entirely different one. Lo and behold, your Chinese version is identical to her recipe, which was entirely in her head and probably passed on from her own mother. Thank you so much!! As I'm rather partial to coconut, I'll do the coconut variety, since I suspect my Vietnamese grandmother modified her recipe to omit the coconut out, as she didnt take well to it.

thanks for stopping by. I'm sorry for your lost. I lost my grandma last year and things have not been the same.

I'm glad you found the recipe you were looking for. Coconut or not...it's the thought that counts and I'm sure your grandma will be happy you thought of her and took the initiative to carry on a tradition.

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